William h



(No Model.)

W. H. McGREW.

- MACHINE FOR BUILDING FENGES. No. 341,031. Patented May 4, 1886.

N PETERS Plmm'L lhcgmpher. Wrshington. D. \2.

NITED STAT S PATENT OF ICE.

IVILLIAM H. MOGREIV, OF PERU, INDIANA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN MYERS, OF SAME PLACE.

'MACHINE FOR BUILDING FENCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,031, dated May 4, 1886.

Application filed February 20, 1886. Serial No. 192,686.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. McGREw, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peru, in the county of Miami and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Building Fences, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for building fences; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of parts, that will be more fullyset forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa side elevation of a machine embodying my invention when in use for building fences. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 1, the wires of the fence being intersected. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line no a: of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail View.

The fences which my invention is adapted to construct are known in the West as wood and wire fences, and are composed of twisted strands of horizontal wires at, having pickets b interwoven in them. To construct such a fence the post 0 is driven into the ground, and the double strands of wires a secured thereto by means of staples or in any other suitable manner. The free ends of the wires are wound on spools A, which are journaled in arms B, that are carried by a vertical standard, 0. This standard is secured on a horizontal sup porting-base, D. A flange, E, projects from one side of the standard 0 at right angles thereto,and through this flange is made a series of openings, 6,

through which pass the inner ends of the arms B. Clamping-bars F pass through the upper ends of the said openings and bear on the up per sides of the arms B, and wedges G pass through the lower ends of the openings and bear under the arms B. By tightening these wedges the bars F may be caused to bear against the upper sides of the arms with any desirid degree of force, and thus secure any requisite tension on the wires c, which pass from the spools A, between the said bars F and the upper sides of the arms B. A bail, H, is provided for the standard, and is attached to a post, f, (which is driven in the ground at (No model.)

one end of the fence-line,) by means of blocks and tackle g, or any other suitable device for moving the standard toward the said post f.

I represents a vertical frame, which corre- 5 5 sponds in length to the standard 0, and in which is journaled a series ofhorizontal twisters, K, which are each provided with a longitudinal central opening that extends through one end and communicates at its other end with a pair of openings, 70, through which the wires a. pass. These openings 75 are arranged at a suitable distance apart to admit one of the pickets of the fence to be readily inserted between the wires when the latter are held in a horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The twisters are provided with sprocket-wheels L, and the frame I has a right-angled arm, M, projecting from one side, in which arm is journaled a sprocket wheel, N, having a crankshaft, 0.

P represents an endless sprocket chain, which connects the series of sprocket-wheels, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the crankshaft 0 is rotated rotary motion is imparted to the series of twisters.

On the front side of the frame Iare secured two guides, R, which are parallel flanges projecting at a right angle from theframe I, and are at a suitable distance apart to receive one of the pickets of the fence, which is inserted between the strands of wires or, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These two parallel flanges, together with the front of the frame I, thus form a frame by which the picket is guided to place and in which it is held during the twisting. The standard 0 is moved so as to tighten the wires to the requisite degree, and the crankshaft is turned so as to cause the twisters to rotate, and thereby twist the wires and securely fasten the picket thereto. WVhen the frame I is moved laterally a suitable distance on the wires, another picket is inserted therein, and a reverse rotary motion is imparted to the twisters to secure the said picket, and so on for each additional picket. At suitable inter vals the wires are fastened to ordinary fenceposts by means of staples.

In order to prevent the fence thus con structed from sagging, Iprovide abrace-wire, 2, which is secured at one end to the upper end of the corner-post, and is drawn diago- ICO nally across each panel to the center thereof, and interlaced upon the lower ends of the central pickets, and then drawn diagonally upward across the said panel to the next post, and there secured, and so on with each additional panel.

Having thus described my invention, I clain1 l. The combination of the frame I, having the parallel flanges R on its front side, thereby forming a guidingframe to receive and hold the picket, and the rotating twistersjournaled in the frame I, for carrying the wires and twisting the same behind the picket, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the standard 0, having the slots 0, the arms B, carrying the spools for the wires, the bars F in the slots e, and bearing on the upper sides of the arms, and the wedges for regulating the tension of the bars and arms on the wires, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MOGREW.

Vitnesses H. B. J AMISON, RENE CROZETTE. 

